Berea High School - Prima Luce Yearbook (Berea, NC)

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T ir — — PRIM A LUCE A- barren ; a few miserable people wandered in fear among the ruins of the churches their hiding places, while the land was covered with the bones of the slain ’ “Berea’s streets were lighted until midnight by dim oil lamps. A guard pro- tected each home, since stragglers lurked at the lonely corners, and worst of all bands of aristocratic young men (known as Mohocks from the Mohawk Indians)’ wandered to and fro overturning cars, pricking men with old rusty swords, rolling women down-hill in barrels, sometimes brutally maiming their victims for life. In the country the roads in the winter were well nigh impassable. The auto truck (wi h its armed guards to protect it from highwaymen) rattled along at six miles per hour. E. A. Partin accomplished the journey from Berea to Oxford in two hours and nine minutes; but his friends warned him of the danger of such an attempt, and gravely told him of persons venturing it who had died from the very rapi dity of the motion. Strangers were considered enemies and the inhabitants set the dogs upon them. “EDUCATION : A gentleman’s instruction was superficial, consisting of little jngish, less Mathematics, and a good deal of square dancing. At the age of sixteen the young lady was taken out of school and plunged into the dissipation of fashionable society. Newspapers were taxed mainly to render them too costly tor the poor, and so restrain what was considered their evil influence upon the “A general spirit of restlessness existed in society. Landlords beat their ten- ants and husbands their wives daily. Everyone swore— teachers in their classes ■ judges on their bench; and ladies, in their letters. No entertainment was con- sidered complete unless the guests became stupidly drunk. Children started manual labor at five, and were often driven to work by blows. It was a common every- day occurrence to see women plowing oxen. When the horses had the distemper, women pulled the ox-carts fastened to their waists by chains. “Quite frequently a howl went up from a wine party; and now, a poor old withered dame rushed swiftly by, hotly pursued by a shouting crowd, armed with long pins to prick the witch’ and see if blood would follow, or grasping at her hair to tear out a handful to burn for a counter-charm. Anon, a poor fellow with blood flowing from his freshly-chopped ears, came staggering home from a public- hogging— it was his second punishment for vagrancy, and he was lucky to escape being branded with a V At night the narrow streets and roads swarmed with thieves who skillfully dodged the rays of light borne by a marching guard There was, indeed no end of rogues, vagabonds, and sturdy beggars ; singly or in crowds who passed and repassed from morning till night; and many a bloody brawl robbery, or even murdur occurred.” As he concluded I told him that I could not add anything that would be on par with the quality of his narrative, and that he was a man after my own heart. Then I awoke and murmured, “Why should I have such visions ? It must have been that dinner, or that election day !” 1 9 [ Page 76 ]

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yellow was in most favor; and many a street blonde or country lass was decoyed aside and shorn of her locks, to furnish a periwig for some fine lady. “At table all wore their hats, as they did also in church or at the theatre. Dinner was the formal meal of the day and was characterized by formal decorum. The old ceremonious custom of washing hands was still observed ; perfumed water was used, and the basin and hand towel were ostentatiously displayed. The favor- ite dishes were a boar’s head wreathed with rosemary, and sucking pigs which had been fed on dates and muscadines. Bread and meats were presented on the point of a knife, the food being conveyed to the mouth by the left hand. Music and masquerading enlivened the feast. “GOVERNMENT : At the time about which this is written the government of Berea was in the hands of its mayor, Mr. Briggs. The new mayor received public attention wherever he went, not because his personal appearance is especially pleasing to the eye or that he possessed any particular charm of manners. On the other hand it was his homeliness and extreme youth that put him in the limelight. His youth alone prompted much speculation as to his qualification to hold high office. Mr. Briggs, the successor to Mr. Russell as head of the government, has barely turned sixty-one. In Berea age has always come before beauty and at the time of Mr. Briggs’ election there was a grave concern among the conservatives as to whether Mr. Briggs on account of his youth would prove capable of coping with the tremendous problems of the town. An earlier Solon of the city was ninety years of age when he was mayor, and Mr. Russell, Mr. Briggs’ predecessor, was sixty-seven, and many believe that he had not attained unto the years of discretion. “LAW : The law recognized two hundred and twenty capital crimes. For stealing to the value of five dollars, for shooting a rabbit, or for cutting down young trees, the penalty was death. Prisoners were forced to buy from the jailer (who had no salary) their food and even the straw, upon which to lie at night. They were allowed to stand chained by the ankle, outside the jail to sell articles of their own manufacture. Punishments were barbarous and severe. The gallows and the rack were ever at work. Chopping off hands, putting out eyes, and cutting off ears were common affairs. The most ingenious tortures were devised and hanging was the mildest death allowed to criminals. “The town and the surrounding community were divided by factional feuds between the White Caps and the Red Shirts that terrorized the community and many of the houses were built with lofty towers, and having, instead of windows below, only apertures covered by huge wrought-iron grates. “The Feme was a tribunal of justice that sprang up in Berea. During these troublous times it attained great power and spread far and wide. The proceedings were secret, and the deliberations were often held in desolate places. The sentences were always secretly and mysteriously ' executed. To the southwest of Berea a feud arose over a special tax election. A battle ensued. Later a traveller de- scribed the surrounding scenery as follows : ‘The land was a wilderness overgrown with brushwood and black with stagnant pools. Its once cultivated fields were r Page 75 ]

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Mr. Stone s Class in Ninth Grade History (A Parody on a University Production.) Dramatis Personae : Mr. Stone Clide Morris Charlie Currin Harry Newton Edward Duncan Rhodes Frazier Annie Frances O’Brian and students. Scene : (A room with four -walls and a ceiling. Blackboards exist on three sides of the room. On the South side there arc several windows. Trees can be seen through these zvindows. Five minutes after the scheduled time for class, Mr. Stone enters quoting the folio-wing Latin proverb to himself. “Coccus iter’ monstrare vult,” — the blind man zmshes to shozv the way— evidently someone has just dis- agreed with him. He brushes the dust off the top of the table with his handker- chief as he scats himself at the table. He sits at the table running his hand through his hair for four and one-half minutes. Then a dozen or more students enter the room, leaving the door open behind them.) Mr. Stone It must be spring fever that makes you come in late. A Student No; there was a big cat fight in front of the pomp house. Mr. Stone Did anyone get hurt? Student I don’t think so. Mr. Briggs separated them. {At this moment hd-ward Duncan enters. He has just partaken of a can of Sardines at Dorsey Mangum’s store.) Mr. Stone I believe today we are to talk about Historical problems. We have traced the Course of Civilization through Greek and Roman history. The Roman Empire m the West came to an end in 476 A.D., and the problem of civilization was to find something to take its place. 27 [ Page 77 ]